G Adventures leads the way with new trips for 2015
G Adventures is leading the return of tourism to Haiti with the launch of five departures starting in February 2015, five years after a devastating earthquake shook the world’s largest creole country.
In 2013 the small-group adventure tour operator was approached by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to assess and report on Haiti’s tourism potential. The IDB has an existing relationship with G Adventures’ non-profit organization, Planeterra, developing community-based projects to support local economies in Central and South America.
Jeff Russill, VP of Innovation at G Adventures, traveled to Haiti to help assess its readiness for travelers.
“We weren’t sure what we would find when we arrived, but what we discovered was a country full of friendly people looking to move on, world-class art and culture, real-time history, and stunning nature and beaches.”
“We’re looking forward to bringing our travelers here to experience this strong culture, to spend locally and help Haiti fully recover. G Adventures uses local suppliers, which means travelers’ money stays in the country. We firmly believe tourism can be a force for good,” says Russill.
Haiti is looking forward to rebuilding the country’s reputation as an attractive tourist destination.
“We’re concentrating on escorted groups initially, so I’m thrilled G Adventures is launching trips there. Their ethical approach fits so well with how we want to help rebuild, through tourism and word-of-mouth,” says Jean-Marc Flambert, tourism marketing consultant for Haiti.
“There’s a real curiosity around traveling to Haiti; it's a place to be explored and adventure travel is the perfect way to see it. While travelers will visit the beach, Haiti is not a fly-and-flop destination.”
G Adventures’ 10-day Highlights of Haiti trip is available to book now and is priced from $2,499pp.
Highlights include Cap-Haïtien and its famous Citadelle Laferrière, a UNESCO-designated mountaintop fortress, learning about rum at a local distillery, making the local kasav flat bread, meeting a voodoo priest and shopping for voodoo artefacts at the Iron Market. Travelers will also visit a local grassroots project, the Art Creation Foundation for Children, which helps at-risk youth learn artistic skills, and see local artist communities make famous mosaics. Nature-lovers will enjoy visiting the turquoise Bassin-Bleu pools to cliff-dive and swim, and the Marie-Jeanne cave to discover underground landscapes and massive caverns.